Yesterday, I signed up for Nationals. It's a World Team Qualifier. Training just got real.

This week I began the nutrition phase of my Ironman journey. Under the guidance of my trainer at IronCore, I have a plan in place to drop weight before the main training begins in April. The plan is simple, and the foods will vary each week. I am learning about how to weigh food in order to get the exact amounts. Everything is super calculated to make sure I am getting just the right amount of nutrients in a day. Because I do not eat meat, my protein sources are all coming from egg whites (which after 5 days, I'm pretty much over it) and protein drinks. My favorite drink of the day is my Shakeology. It's like a coffee break in the middle of the day. I started with whey protein, but honestly the idea of that much animal product in my diet was making he feel sick so I went to Vitamin Shoppe in Greenville, NC to get a vegan protein powder. I accidentally bought Warrior Blend "Natural" flavor. I honestly thought I was buying vanilla but instead I bought dirt flavored protein powder. I went online and ordered a chocolate flavor by the same company, hoping it tastes better. It not, Im going to seek out another brand.

The hardest part of the plan I have is that I am eating the same thing every day at the same time for a week. The idea is that I am learning about timing, and it makes it easier to shop at the grocery store when I'm just buying a lot of the same thing. Each week the plan will change so I can learn about how things go together and have a batter idea of portion sizes. I have become obsessed with my digital food scale and play games where I try to guess the weight of various objects (my phone, mp3 player, chargers, envelopes, etc.) It sounds silly, but if you had a digital scale, you would feel the same way! One of the things I have to each every day is 200 grams of lettuce. I thought I would do better by changing that to spinach. UNTIL, I realized that spinach weighs next to nothing and that 200 grams of spinach is almost 7 cups. So, pretty much that wasn't going to happen, so I went with a iceberg mix since it weights much more than spinach. If I have that again next week, I think I will add in some spinach to the iceberg lettuce in order to kick up the vitamins a little more. Check out the video below that kind of explains things a little more. I apologize for the length of the video (something like 6 minutes) I started talking to the camera and before I knew it I was like "Damn, I've been talking a while!" Check it out, if you're interested:

So that's it! I did have to go back out to the store for more food, as the eggs were not enough, and I needed more bananas. I also went out to get another protein powder as I couldn't stomach so much animal protein. I weigh in tomorrow morning, and I know I'm already down at least a couple pounds from Sunday.

Time is flying by this year. It's hard to believe I am one month out from Ironman training. I am determined to make this year better than last year. Many of last years struggles were out of my control, and I know anything can happen this year. So far the year is progressing nicely and shaping into one that will be full of good memories. I appreciate everyone who has an interest in my progress toward my goal of completing at Ironman. This is an exciting (and sometimes terrifying) journey and I am glad I can share it with so many people. Who knows? Maybe one day YOU will be on that start line too! (I can see you sitting back laughing and all I can say is I was in your chair one day)

I started my second round of Sean's IronCore Bootcamp and I am feeling great! Saturday morning's are the ONLY mornings I actually want to get up early and get out the door. It is the hardest workout of the week, but it is so insanely rewarding when I walk out the door. My only wish is that we had the class more than just once per week. Each week is different so it challenges your body. Each week also gets progressively harder than the week before. In fact, I am having flashbacks right now to Sean saying on Saturday "Today you will do a half-mile worth of burpees. That's 385 burpees. You will do it in under an hour." Now when I first started the class, I could barley do 20 in a row without feeling like I was falling apart. But on that day? I thought, "This is crazy, but okay Sean. Challenge accepted." The clock hit 60 minutes and I was about 10 short of the goal so I kept going. Being a numbers person, I couldn't stop at 385. Fifteen more would bring be to 400 which was a mind blowing number. As people started to leave, I was still on the mat throwing down burpees. Sean called out to me, "You almost done with 385?" I yelled back, "Yea, but I'm going to 400" as I dropped down to do another burpee. Looking back, I can't believe I accomplished something so crazy. Then again, I did sign up for an Ironman, so obviously my definition of crazy/insanity are a little different from most people.

Below is a sample of a workout. This is the workout that we did today 2/20/2016.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 represents the number of minutes for each exercise. You repeat the exercises as many times as necessary before time runs out. There is only about a one minute break between rounds. At the end of the workout, you WILL be laying on the floor with sweat pouring out of places you didn't know could sweat.

I have learned a lot about form and how to combine exercises to get the most out of my time. This has helped me to create the following videos posted below. Check them out and even try them out yourself! Leave comments in the comment section and I will reply as often as questions are asked. Okay, here we go!

This was an ab set that I just sorta made up as I went along. This will burn your abs and obliques! Try it!

Love, love, LOVE this set! This set combines arms, abs, and even a little bit of leg work. When I finished this set, I felt totally wasted! But I did it!!

This is the current state of my shoulder shrugs. They don't look pretty, but they work! It may look like I'm trying to do push-ups from a handstand position, but I assure you that is not the goal!

Before you click on this video, be warned that there is a LOT of profanity in the lyrics. Sometimes a girl just needs some gangsta' rap in order to throw down a good workout. If you're offended by the words, turn it down or just skip the video. We are all adults here, so that's your warning.

Plank jacks, how I love you! This move is fun because it looks so badass! I learned these in IronCore and they will work you out from fingertips to tippy toes!

So there you have it! I have enjoyed being able to take some videos and share some of my favorite sets with you! If you have any questions, just submit them in the comment section!

Before I tell you about it, you need a little background story first...

Last year I discovered an amazing company called "Beach Body." Well, I didn't discover it, so much as I reopened the door that had been there in front of me all along. I first discovered Beach Body when trying out new at-home fitness programs. At the time, I had never heard of Shakeology. In fact, it's possible that Shakeology was just being born around that time. Fast forward to January of 2015 my friend Lindsay helped me to make the commitment to finding a healthier way to live. Not only that, I was given the opportunity to help others in the process. I signed up as a Beach Body coach for multiple reasons: 1. To get the 25% discount! 2. To learn more about the products improve my health. 3. To make a little money to help pay for Justus' medical bills. In the meantime I learned so much about Shakeology and was excited to share it with friends.

I started out with the vanilla flavor because I thought it was the most versatile. You can literally change the flavor to anything you want (even make it chocolate!) Some days I craved a fruit shake, other times something with a hint of coffee. A few months later I purchased a bag of the chocolate Shakeology. For that month, I felt like I was having dessert for breakfast! I could still add the coffee flavor, and I often did just that! I will not go as far as some people and say it's just like Starbucks, or even better than Starbucks because to me it is apples and oranges. Shakeology is absolutely delicious. But is it better than Starbucks? I would have to disagree only because I believe that the purpose for either beverage is equal to it's end result. Sometimes a girl just needs a good old fashioned Frappuccino or latte. On the other hand, I have done a lot of my own research on the sugar industry and believe it or not, I have cut back tremendously on Starbucks. (I'll post a screenshot of my app that keeps track of my receipts if you don't believe me!)

Later in my journey with Shakeology I discovered Vegan Chocolate which tasted even better than the original chocolate. I have a lot of respect for a company that tries to please everyone. In the last 8-10 months I have been much more conscious of my intake of animal based products. In the last 3 months I have cut out more animal products than I have in years. Part of this is because of a new found understanding of my impact on the environment. After all, every little bit helps, right?

Sometime after my Ironman 70.3 race, I still drank Shakeology but not to the same level of commitment that I had before. I lead challenge groups with friends and was able to help a few people start working towards their goals of becoming happier and healthier through better nutrition and fitness. In December I was drinking the few packets that I had left from some sample packets that I had purchased. But then Beach Body did something amazing. They put out a message saying, "Hey Jamie, we noticed you haven't been drinking as much Shakeology as you used to so we created a new flavor just for you!" It was that moment that something amazing happened: Cafe Latte Shakeology was born! (Jaw drop, cue heavenly music!) Lindsay sent me a sample packet in the mail and I tried it last weekend. I kept it basic and just added water and ice. I took the first sip and in the next moment I was running to my purse looking for my credit card. I was halfway through drinking my drink when I hit the "submit order" button. Today I picked up the box from the office at my apartment complex and ran home with it under my arm and the biggest smile on my face.

I adjusted it slightly with a half cup of coffee and a half cup of water.

I decided it would be my dinner, but first I needed to get in a workout. I cued up T25 - Alpha Lower Focus and worked out for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, my Keurig was brewing 4 oz of coffee and letting it cool off while I worked out. Once my workout was finished, I went into the kitchen and poured the shot of coffee into my Ninja Blender with a half cup of water and a scoop of Cafe Latte Shakeology. I blended it for about 30 seconds. . . The smell was amazing! I poured the drink into a cup and started sipping. And I kept sipping. I thought, "I should take a picture of this so I can show people how amazing it is." However, I suddenly had nothing left in my cup because, oops, I drank it all! As I stood there in a blissful moment, I thought, "I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!"

What is amazing about Shakeology is that it has EVERYTHING you need to be strong. It's not just a protein drink. If it was, the price would be a fraction of what you pay. There is a reason the price is $130 for a 30 day bag! (I just heard you gasp!) Shakeology is full of all the good stuff you need, and has none of the artificial stuff that harms your body. It is impossible to recreate what Beach Body has made in this drink. It's packed full of 23 vitamins and minerals that your body needs and CRAVES in order to reach optimal health. It's full of vegetables and super foods that can be difficult to find (not to mention expensive$$$) in the grocery store. It is by far the easiest way to get a super dose of amazing nutrition. If you divide the cost by the number of servings, you end of with a high quality meal that costs only $4.33. Compare that to what would spend if you bought all the ingredients required to create the drink and you can easily see the savings.

Pretty self explanatory!

Anyone can drink Shakeology! I am on my road to Ironman and plan to have Shakeology by my side during the process. I want to stress the fact that you don't have to be an athlete to reap the benefits of this cup-o-magic. I appreciate Beach Body offering a "30 Day Bottom of the Bag Guarantee" that states you can get your money refunded with no questions asked if you don't absolutely love your shakes. They have a lot of faith in their product, and I have a lot of faith in it too. There is only one thing I don't like and it's this: I hate that they only recommend one glass a day because I am impatient and want to try all the different possible flavors you can make with Cafe Latte as a base. I suppose there could be worse things to complain about!

If you have any questions about Beach Body, Shakeology, or any other related questions, please put them in the comment section below and I will answer them quickly! This stuff is so amazing that I just want to shout it out to the world!

I am very excited to bring to you my first product review of 2016! I got a pair of Finis Surge Polarized Goggles from AquaGear.com I was excited to try these out, as one of the issues I had last year with open water swims was the intense glare on the water. I have only tried these goggles out inside (It is February afterall, and I will update this later, but here is my review so far:

​Last year I purchased mirrored goggles over tinted, which helped with the sun a little bit, but the glare from the sun on the water at turn two was terrible. I honestly had no idea that polarized goggles even existed!

Opening the box...

What I like:

*They are very comfortable on your face and are very adjustable so you have a lot of control over the fit.

*They have 180 degree vision! Once you wear goggles that have 180 degree vision, you will NOT go back to traditional goggles. Having 180 degree vision means being able to see your competitors in the water, and it means having much more awareness of the "objects" that swim along with you. It might take a time or two to get your eyes adjusted to the "bend" in objects, but it is totally worth it! The eye piece is large, so you can see everything!

*The lights in the gym don't exactly produce a "glare" on the water, however I did notice a difference in being able to read the numbers on my watch. Having tried polarized sunglasses, I can see the difference between a polarized lens and a lens that is not polarized. I'm excited to see how the water "looks" once I get outside with these goggles!

What I don't like...

*They are a little bit bulkier than my Aqua Sphere goggles. The color is not really flattering, and there are not any other options. When swimming in the pool, I know my goggles stood out in the crowd! Or perhaps, my hot pink swim cap is what had people looking! (It sure wasn't my form!)

Side by side.....Click on the pictures to see notes!

Final Thoughts...​I would recommend these goggles to anyone who is open water swimming regardless of if you are just swimming for fun, fitness, or competition. Your eyes deserve protection, and these goggles are worth every penny. As for color, you are out there to have fun or compete, it's not a fashion show! I can easily look past the color if it means I can see better and have great eye protection. Good job, Finis!!

Size difference with tradition goggles vs. Finis. I LOVE the 180 degree vision with the Finis. It makes a huge difference!

AquaGear.com is a really cool small company and their customer service really stands out! The website is easy to navigate and the checkout was a breeze. Any questions I had were answered within a day, and sometimes even a matter of hours. Shipping was also super fast. I think I received the goggles in 4 or 5 days after ordering them. I'm looking forward to trying out more of these products soon, as open water season is right around the corner, and indoor season is in full swing!